Monthly State Unemployment Rate Remains Stable at 2.8 Percent

Release Date: 9/15/2017

The Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) announced today that Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for August was 2.8 percent, seasonally adjusted. The rate was unchanged from the July 2017 rate of 2.8 percent and is down 0.4 percentage points from the August 2016 rate of 3.2 percent. 

“Nebraska’s seasonally adjusted employment reached 980,033 in August,” said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin. “Seasonally adjusted employment has been reported since 1976, and this is a historic high.”

Nonfarm employment was 1,028,920, up 15,474 over the year and up 889 over the month. Private industries with the most growth year over year were professional and business services (up 4,864), leisure and hospitality (up 3,805), and other services (up 2,116). Month to month, the largest gains were seen in education and health services (up 683); leisure and hospitality (up 410); and trade, transportation and utilities (up 54).

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August was 4.4 percent, up 0.1 percentage points from the July 2017 rate of 4.3 percent and down 0.5 percentage points from the August 2016 rate of 4.9 percent.

For more August data, go to dol.nebraska.gov/InfoLink.  Nonfarm employment data can be found at NEworks.nebraska.gov/CES and Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) data can be found at NEworks.nebraska.gov/LAUS.

September 2017 data is scheduled for release on Friday, October 20.